California Beaches: Santa Monica
More than 20 years ago, Bill Howard helped turn a decrepit dumbell pit into a world-famous oceanfront workout spot: Muscle Beach. Bodybuilders, weightlifters and gawkers turned out in the 1950s to pump iron or just watch the show--all within view of the Pacific. Pretty soon the ongoing spectacles, along with the Santa Monica Pier and all the sand in between, became an iconic vacation stop for Southern California beach life.
Scott Rogers, 20, of Boulder, Colo., performs a move while “slacklining” across a tightrope at Muscle Beach, south of the Santa Monica pier.
For more in this series exploring Southern California’s beaches, visit our Cruising the Coast page. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
A side from all the attractions on the Santa Monica Pier and Muscle Beach, there’s always the sand--and the sun.
Santa Monica maintains its own 2-mile stretch of beach, with its famous pier and Pacific Park amusement center, plus volleyball and basketball nets, bicycle and running paths, picnic areas, and plenty of nearby shops and restaurants.
Carl Johnson, 24, of Venice Beach, twirls his fire sticks at twilight during 24th annual Twilight Dance Series at the Santa Monica Pier. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The Santa Monica Pier, which has a Ferris wheel, historic carousel building and eateries, attracts more than 4 million visitors a year. In the 1970s, when the city of Santa Monica threatened to tear down the pier for a redevelopment project, citizens rallied to save it.
Riders are silhouetted by the setting sun as they take a spin on the Pacific Wheel, hailed as the world’s first solar-powered Ferris wheel on the Santa Monica Pier. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Since the mid-1980s, “the city has easily invested well over $60 million” in restoring the pier, said Ben Franz-Knight, executive director of the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corp. The private sector has invested an almost equal amount, he said.
The rollercoaster at the Santa Monica Pier. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Aside from all the attractions on the pier and Muscle Beach, there’s always the sand--and the sun.
Val Litvinov, of Reseda, lets a friend bury him in the sand by the Santa Monica Pier. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
From 1934 to 1958, the original “Muscle Beach” was an area south of the Santa Monica Pier. Outfitted with gymnastics equipment, it was frequented by amateur acrobats and weightlifters, who would catch the acrobats as they performed flips.
David Frison, of Venice, soars through the air as he does a flip high over the sand during a dismount from the rings at the original Muscle Beach. Local performers are trying to re-create photos and poses of the muscle-men of the 1950s and 1960s. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The original Muscle Beach isn’t the exclusive domain of bodybuilders. Soccer players and other sports-minded folk turn out at the ocean-front site.
Alfred Kendrick, in red pants, fights in an Afro-Brazilian Capoeira Batuque group. Capoeira is an martial art developed initially by African slaves in Brazil, starting in the colonial period. It is marked by deft, tricky movements often played on the ground or completely inverted; it also has a strong acrobatic component in some versions and is always played with music. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Some seek their peace far from the bustle of the Santa Monica Pier and the nearby boardwalk.
Muhammad Saadat, 23, of Reseda, offers an afternoon prayer in solitude as he faces East on a stretch of open beach in Santa Monica. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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You can sometimes find a quiet moment too at the pier, which dates to 1909, that stands at the foot of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica.
Korean tourists hold sun-protecting umbrellas during a visit to the pier.
For more in this series exploring Southern California’s beaches, visit our Cruising the Coast page. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
